Experience the breadth of The National Ballet of Canada repertoire in this Triple Bill of acclaimed works honouring the legacy and future of dance. Presenting two Canadian premieres in dramatically different styles plus a special solo performance by retiring Principal Dancer and Choreographic Associate Guillaume Côté, this programme underscores the continuing evolution of our art form and the versatility of our artists in the face of new creative challenges.
Première canadienne
Silent Screen
The mesmerizing language of Sol León and Paul Lightfoot comes to the National Ballet for the first time with Silent Screen, a profound theatrical experience set to the music of Philip Glass. Based in Europe, León and Lightfoot are the architects of a highly respected body of work rarely experienced in North America. With this acquisition, Artistic Director Hope Muir opens the door to their canon. Silent Screen immerses the dancers in a silent film projected on shifting screens, taking the audience on a journey that finishes where it began.
Spain’s Sol León joined NDT 2 after graduating from the National Ballet Academy of Madrid in 1987. Two years later, she joined NDT 1 and danced the work of Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, Ohad Naharin and many others.
Born in England, Paul Lightfoot trained at The Royal Ballet School and joined NDT under Jiří Kylián, dancing there until 2008. During his dancing career, Lightfoot formed his famous choreographic partnership with Sol León.
In 2002, León and Lightfoot were named House Choreographers of Nederlands Dans Theater. León was Artistic Advisor of NDT from 2012 to 2020 and Lightfoot Artistic Director from 2011 to 2020.
Glassworks was Philip Glass’ debut album on CBS. A six-movement work written for the recording studio in 1981, the music was intended to introduce his aesthetic to a more general audience. In terms of sound, Glassworks is consistent with Glass’ vast oeuvre of contemporary classical music favouring repetitive structures.
“A rare, compelling ballet in which all characteristic León & Lightfoot ingredients are combined… an ‘insurmountable piece of art’… This masterpiece will inevitably touch your soul.” – TROUW
“The most beautiful and captivating [León & Lightfoot] have created in their already richly stocked oeuvre.” – De Telegraaf
“Gripping… ingenious melting together of dance with a film” – NRC Handelsblad
“Purposeful and revealing… an eclectic blend of dance, image and music” – The Herald
Body of Work kicks off Guillaume Côté’s special performances in his final season with The National Ballet of Canada as Principal Dancer. Set to Ludwig van Beethoven’s uplifting Symphony No.7, this touching solo was Côté’s homage to his friend and fellow dance icon, Canada’s Anik Bissonnette, at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award Gala in 2014. Now, the solo takes on new life as an expression of Côté’s own extraordinary legacy in dance.
Guillaume Côté joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1998, became Principal Dancer in 2004 and Choreographic Associate in 2013. His creations for the company include Being and Nothingness, Le Petit Prince and Frame by Frame with Robert Lepage. In 2021, he founded his company Côté Danse and created the immersive dance experience Touch. He is also Artistic Director of the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 premiered in Vienna in 1813 with great success and is renowned for its lively rhythm and momentum. The second movement, the stirring Allegretto, is particularly popular and often performed alone. The composer Richard Wagner called it “the apotheosis of dance”.
Join the international celebration of Sir Frederick Ashton with Rhapsody, a chic and joyful ballet Artistic Director Hope Muir has acquired for Ashton Worldwide, a five-year festival honouring the great choreographer’s legacy. Beloved for his poetic storytelling and elegant style, Ashton showcases his energetic side with Rhapsody, in which two thrilling Principals and a small Corps de Ballet embody the vitality of the music, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s glorious Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.
Sir Frederick Ashton studied in England with famed dancers Léonide Massine and Marie Rambert. His distinct style has been preserved in his repertoire of cherished ballets, including A Month in the Country and La Fille mal gardée. He was knighted in 1962, made a Companion of Honour in 1970 and received the Order of Merit in 1977.
Sergei Rachmaninoff composed his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for piano and orchestra in 1934, inspired by Niccolò Paganini’s Caprice No. 24 for solo violin, which is symbolic of virtuoso technique. Rachmaninoff’s theme and variations take on the Caprice was the basis for Michel Fokine’s ballet Paganini in 1939.
“A virtuoso display” – The Independent
“★★★★★” – Financial Times
Casting will be announced on our eNewsletter, Ballet News, and on social media and will be posted here approximately two weeks prior to the opening. Please note, casting is always subject to change.
Chorégraphie :
Sol León and Paul Lightfoot
Musique :
Philip Glass
Conception de la scène :
Sol León and Paul Lightfoot
Conception des costumes :
Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, realized by Joke Visser and Hermien Hollander
Conception de l’éclairage :
Tom Bevoort
Film Concept:
Lightfoot León
Film Realisation:
Metropolis Film and Dicky Schuttel
Première mondiale : Nederlands Dans Theater, Lucent Danstheater, Den Haag, 28 avril, 2005
Première du Ballet national du Canada : Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, 9 novembre, 2024
Silent Screen is generously supported by The Producers’ Circle.
The Producers’ Circle (2024): John & Claudine Bailey, Laura Dinner & Richard Rooney, Gail Drummond & Bob Dorrance, Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin, The William & Nona Heaslip Foundation, Anna McCowan-Johnson & Donald K. Johnson, O.C., Judy Korthals & Peter Irwin, Mona & Harvey Levenstein, Jerry Lozinski, O.C. & Joan Lozinski, O.C., The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain, C.C., Julie Medland, Sandra Pitblado, C.M. & Jim Pitblado, C.M., The Harry & Lillian Seymour Family Foundation and The Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation.
Chorégraphie :
Guillaume Côté
Musique :
Ludwig van Beethoven
Conception des costumes :
Krista Dowson
Conception de l’éclairage :
Jeff Logue
Chorégraphie :
Frederick Ashton
Musique :
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Conception des costumes :
William Chappell
Costume Design Re-Created:
Natalia Stewart
Conception de l’éclairage :
Peter Teigen
Lead philanthropic support for Rhapsody is provided byThe Isobel Allen New Creations Fund.
Première mondiale : The Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House, London, UK, 4 août, 1980
Première du Ballet national du Canada : Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, 9 novembre, 2024
Abonnez-vous aux nouvelles du Ballet et soyez le premier à connaître la répartition des rôles.
Le Ballet national vous invite à assister au Ballet Talk 45 minutes avant chaque représentation à l’amphithéâtre Richard Bradshaw du Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
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